Use of information technologies in shipping logistics : a case study of Singapore

Abstract

This project endeavours to investigate the current status of IT adoption in Singapore’s shipping logistics and seafreight forwarding industry. The study categorises the IT applications used in the logistics industry into two broader categories with two tiers. Extensive literature reviews are conducted to reinforce the study on the IT applications in the industry and possible impact. It is found that the level of adoption of IT applications in Singapore’s shipping logistics industry is considerably comprehensive. The observed perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of IT applications are high across the industry, particularly for web-based IT applications. The most significant perceived benefits brought by IT implementation are found to be faster information response and access, improvement of efficiency and streamlining of logistics processes, whereas the most significant perceived barrier to IT adoption is the high cost of implementation. Lastly, it is revealed that more R&D efforts focusing on the provision of real-time information are warmly anticipated by the industry. At the end of the report, the author explains the limitations of this study and suggestions of the areas that can be further researched for future studies are also included.